The Marksman November Edition 2021

INTERFACE

The

WHERE MARKETING COMES ALIVE

MARKSMAN Stories. Insights. Knowledge.

VOL XII | ISSUE IV | NOV'21

SWAP FOMO FOR JOMO.

EDITOR'S NOTE "Happy is the heart, dancing to the Rhythm of its very own beats."

Social media has unequivocally garnered the reputation of the Mirror of our Society, and every second not spent looking at it gives us a sense of fear... a Fear of missing out. At least that's how it started. But lately, it seems that this fixation has run its course. Some social media users have found a way to stop their constant urge to look back in that mirror.

They now not feel the fear but joy of missing out, getting comfortable in minding their own business, and finding joy in that. And brands have taken the head of this change.

Rijul Ghosh

Although some brands take up this prospect lightly and have a brief underlying message through their campaigns, others have managed to strike a chord, have a massive impact, and relate.

As more and more brands take the JOMO route, read more about “JOMO: Joy of Missing Out” in this edition's cover story.

This edition's cover story brings you stories about rebranding, social media outrages, and much more.

CFA WINNERS: You have not failed to surprise us with your brilliant articles. A hearty congratulations to the folks who managed to be the winner and runner-up of November's edition of the call for articles.

1. Winner - Aishwarya Tate, S.I.E.S School of Business Studies 2. Runner up - Priyanshu Kumar, MDI Murshidabad

Vikas Yadav

The inspiring pieces of work can be discovered in the “Featured Articles” section. We were overwhelmed with the response, and we wish the same for the future as we believe you would respond with the same gusto portrayed in the past.

Mehek Sethi

Parth Agarwal

THE WRITERS

THE DESIGNERS

MEET THE TEAM

Anshul Sheikh Chinmaya Sharma

Alipriya Ghosh

THE WRITERS

Anushka Dalvi

Hari Shankar Kannan

Aditi Pooja

Antarip Biswas

THE WRITERS

Rayomand Sachinwala

Amrit Nair

Abhishek Rathee

TABLE OF CONTENTS 01

Kickstart The debate between Chai and Coffee has been there since time; this iconic brand with its royal aroma claims to have swayed the decision in their favour!

Cover Story People have turned the fear of missing out into joy; does this approach work for selling products? Is there any joy in missing out, and can brands tailor a message that impacts consumers?

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What's Hot on the Gram

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October and festivities are almost synonymous; who would’ve thought that red hot flags would accompany festivities? It has indeed been a topsy turvy month from mixing horror and fun with products to a sad cricketing end.

Brand Markive When you have been riddled with controversy, lawsuits and a shifting consumer preference, How do you stay afloat? Find out about the transformation of Abercrombie & Fitch

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More than Marketing We’ve all had a burger from McDonalds, but, what if we told you that they are more than just those little toys and the attractive packaging? McDonalds focuses on sustainability and is perhaps recycling the packaging that you just disposed.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS 06

Marketing Buzz You can now order a Taylor Swift special at Starbucks, while the Clown is getting Eco-conscious. The FaceBook guy is going through a new phase and someone is doing mathematics on Monuments. Confused? Well, read along.

Hallmark Campaign Cadbury never ceases to amaze; the campaign that was perhaps sweeter than their chocolates has been revamped to help you find your sweet tooth.

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Pioneer

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Lil Nas X, the wonderboy rapper, has taken it to a new level altogether with his shocking collaboration with Nike and Durex; find out more from this article.

Marketflix and Chill When Kota factory returned for its 2nd Season on Netflix, brands could not keep calm and responded "Yes" to Kota Factory's "Netflix & Chill?" request.

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Mark-o-pedia Brands, like humans, too have a Personality that represents more than their logos and designs. Ever wondered why and how Rebranding affects a Brand's Personality? And how that impacts its offerings and positioning. Let's explore it here.

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KICKSTART Chariot New York

Let the royal aroma sway you away!!!

From the dawn of world trade to our favorite neighborhood coffee shop, coffee has a long narrative to tell us. It is believed to have been first brought to India around 1640 by Baba Budan, a notorious Indian Sufi mystic who accidentally came across some popular Mocha coffee beans at the Yemeni port of Mocha on his way to Mecca (Islam’s holiest city). He sneaked across seven coffee beans and then planted them in his private garden when he returned home to Karnataka. The coffee plantations became increasingly successful, and as a result, a lush ecology and a stable economy gradually developed, both of which are still thriving today. Homegrown coffee beans have been around for some time now.

-Abhishek Rathee

Many new brands are popping up to have a piece of this pie called the ‘Make in India’ campaign. The government is also providing exquisite tax benefits and support to these local brands, and the culture is being promoted aggressively throughout the country.

One such brand is ‘Chariot New York.’

Based out of Surat in Gujarat, the company offers a range of quality products in Instant Coffee, Skincare, Lipsticks, Makeup, Facewash, and Baby care. It offers beauty products such as Shea Body Butter, Ghana Cocoa Butter, Shea Sugar Scrub, etc. that are prepared hygienically and following the predefined guidelines of the food and skincare industry.

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KICKSTART

Chariot New York is the ultimate destination for a premium coffee experience. They mainly offer two types of coffee beans which are expertly roasted to perfection – Arabica and Robusta. Arabica tends to have a smoother, sweeter taste, with hints of chocolate. Robusta has an earthy taste with a grain of a peanutty aftertaste. They also offer a third type of coffee beans called Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee beans. It is known for its balanced and smooth taste, bright and clean acidity, and almost total lack of bitterness.

The next in line are coffee blend jars, instant coffee, and filter coffee packs.

Agglomerated coffee is a special type of coffee prepared from spray-dried coffee beans with the process of adding steam and water which further converts to granulated form.

It gives a combined taste of buttery with balanced thickness. Their premium packaging helps give an enhanced unboxing experience and helps to retain the aroma of that coffee.

More recently launched are two chocolate spreads- Belgian and Hazelnut. It is one of the tastiest and finest spreads out there, and the consistency is great, which adds further value to the choice of their customers.

Since 2019, the company has been gaining immense popularity among the customers for supplying high-quality items that are economical as well. The product range is ever-expanding, and the belief in providing exceptional quality and service is as firm as it ever was. So, what are you waiting for? Get your daily dose of antioxidants and taste the aroma in every sip with Chariot!

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Cover Story JOMO : A Freshly Brewed Solitude

-Chinmaya Sharma

FOMO is out, JOMO is in. People's lives have been reset as a result of the lockdown.

The daily stresses and strains they were used to, such as the never-ending rat race, the urge to keep up with peers, or the drive to satisfy everyone, have come to a halt.

Perhaps it's time to let go of the tiring and overwhelming fear of missing out (FOMO) and embrace the joy of missing out (JOMO). Choosing what one wants to do (or not do) is referred to as JOMO. Disconnecting from electronics allows people to reflect on their lives and reconnect with friends and family.

Social media is a crucial cause of FOMO since it allows people to witness all of their friends' great activities, making them feel left out. Another aspect is loneliness and seclusion, linked to many harmful consequences, including depression, suicide, and heart disease. Anxiety (accompanied by nervous behavior) is another factor.

Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites have the potential to become hooked. The sensation of inadequacy that can occur when reading through feeds is all too familiar to younger generations. When our friends upload pictures of their parties and exotic vacations on social media, our lives can appear mundane, and we worry that we're losing out on thrilling experiences.

However, an increasing number of young people are becoming dissatisfied with the pressure to be seen everywhere and to keep up with all the latest trends. They don't want to be in a foul mood because they always feel like they're missing out while they're on social media. Instead, they relish in JOMO (joy of missing out) letting the rare event slip by and unwind.

Instead of attending the next hot party, JOMO supporters choose to stay at home and binge-watch their favorite show — with no guilt or regrets. They enjoy the present moment, rejecting the notion that life is only complete when there is always something new to learn. We live in an era of limitless possibilities.

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Cover Story regularly to unwind, reflect, and do nothing.

Today, the fear of missing out (FOMO) has been replaced by the joy of missing out (JOMO). JOMO arose from macrodemographic trends such as the global rise in one-person households and the trend in both the East and the West toward marrying later in life. Both of these significant shifts indicate a desire for mecentricity and acceptance of 'the self.' This intriguing trend, which promotes being alone, is all the more powerful because of its contradictory link to what society considers "normal." Extroverted, social persons are favoured by society.

And these chances are all around us on the internet – not just on social media, but also when we visit news sites, watch YouTube videos, or listen to podcasts.

JOMO supporters are no longer worried by the seemingly unlimited array of options and digital impressions of the seemingly perfect life. Those who have discovered the joy of missing out no longer try to keep up with every new fad that appears on the internet. On the other hand, people with JOMO consciously slow down and pay attention to their own needs. They value quality above quantity, and they no longer let "should" and "must" dictate their decisions, instead of focusing on the people and activities that matter most to them. And they make time for themselves.

JOMO goes deeper than choosing a different distraction from your usual social media messages. It’s a shift in mindset that can be powerful. The first thing that comes to mind for most people is: "How can one live a JOMO life?" It sounds nice, but is it practical? How can one make more pleasant decisions when they had previously been forced or fearful?

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Cover Story

How can one set the boundaries that one desires, even for a single day? How does one go about finding role models who can get away with 'missing out'?

In popular culture, much content offers advice (from professionals and regular people) on embracing JOMO in life.

Personal care brands appear to be the most likely to embrace JOMO. 'Sound baths,' offered in Mumbai, were highlighted in a 2018 J. Walter Thompson Intelligence Report. "Restoration Sundays: come chill out this Sunday with a peaceful sound bath meditation," they advertise.

Recent events exemplify the dread of missing out. There are, however, some creative occasions that work on the reverse principle: the delight of missing out. The "un-conference" notion, for example, is based on the economist E. F. Schumacher's statement that-

"...nothing good can happen without order, planning, predictability... without these things nothing fruitful can happen...

Life is a joke and a shame without the magnanimity of disorder, without the cheerful abandon." JOMO expressions are highly beneficial to employer branding when it comes to attracting talent.

Employees can, for example, use #otherme programs to pursue what brings them joy and meaning outside of their professional obligations. Extra days of leave might be used to pursue passions, hobbies, or social concerns.

A team working on an iconic global Kit Kat ad recognized something significant years ago: people know breaks are good, but they often feel guilty about taking them.

The campaign's creative brief was "Kit Kat celebrates the benefits of a break," It featured a sorrowful fish.

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Cover Story

This fish travels upstream without stopping or resting, battling its way upstream. It achieves its aim and then perishes. "Remember, you are not a salmon," the campaign finished forcefully.

Take a pause and have a Kit Kat." Kit Kat was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by one spectator, resulting in record-breaking sales.

The Domino's 2019 campaign highlighted JOMO, encouraging individuals to fearlessly say "nope, I'm chilling" one evening. Reassuring them that they're OK just the way they are and announcing Domino's as 'The Official Food of JOMO' (The Joy Of Missing Out). Working with its creative agency, VCCP, the brand designed a campaign that depicts those moments you're missing out on honestly and funnily.

Whereas everyone else was promoting larger and better experiences, Domino's simply wanted people to feel at ease enough to enjoy a night in.

The modern-day JOMO consumption megatrend is more about joy and purpose, less about guilt, and less about simply knowing something but not acting on it intellectually. As a result, businesses are developing unique JOMO concepts for their categories in a variety of areas, including thought leadership, personal care, and corporates, to name a few. So, take a break from FOMO and ask yourself, "What is my JOMO concept?"

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WHAT'S HOT ON THE GRAM Red Flags, Festivals, and Old Rivals -Antarip Biswas October is always the month of festivities. People are on a shopping spree, and brands are willing to go all out, promoting their products. Social Media Marketing is the new platform where everybody competes to remain relevant and quirky. Most of these eye-grabbing trends are created by celebrities, TV shows, or movies and propagated by various worldwide brands. Instagrammers had barely taken leave from the Squid Game frenzy; then, the brand-new “Red Flags” trend captured the attention. It began in the US, where Twitter users initially flagged down stereotypical texts on dating sites. “Red Flag Twitter” thus was a way to identify and warn others when people said certain things.

As per reports, Twitter saw an increase of 455% in tweets containing Red Flag memes, and a record-breaking 1.5 million tweets were posted on Twitter on a single day.

Netflix took this trend and brought it to Indian Instagram. Dharma Productions soon followed with posts talking about stereotypical movie scenes and dialogues marked by a series of red flags. People flagged down problematic statements and mentioned their likes and dislikes in comment sections of the posts. F&B brands hyped the trend with Domino’s Pizza, KFC, Pepsi, and others shared tweets and posts on Instagram such as – “I’ve never had a Pepsi in my life” and “I put Ketchup on everything.”

As the Red Flag trend died down, Halloween season was here and brands made full use of it by posting horror and spooky content across social media sites.

Halloween is a time for celebrations, giving gifts, and cosplaying the favorite characters from fiction and non-fiction. In the US, Halloween spending was forecasted to reach US$9.1 billion, and the custom has seen strong growth in India, especially among the youth. Most purchases are seen on e-commerce sites with search tags such as “Halloween Décor” and “Halloween Costumes” used frequently. Brands in India leveraged the festive mood by promoting quirky posts.

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WHAT'S HOT ON THE GRAM

Mixing festivities and fun with their products was the solution in need. Burger King had one of the best campaigns during the period. They took inspiration from the Hollywood film – Paranormal Activity and showed books flying and objects falling while people tried to sleep. On top of that, they began giving free meals to fans between 3 AM to 4 AM until October 31st.

However, celebrations were short-lived as the Indian cricket team failed to perform well in the initial matches, dashing all hopes of winning the T20 World Cup Trophy. Worse still, India lost to its archrival, Pakistan, which decimated the Indian side. Even before the match, the chants of “Mauka Mauka” were rife on social media, with India confident of defeating Pakistan.

Brands joined in and had made fun posts on the match outcome. However, Indian fans fell silent when Pakistan won, and brands immediately shared their grief and gloom over the loss. Overall, October was an exciting month spanning both festivals and heartbreaks.

Navaratri started on October 7th, and Dussehra fell on the 15th. This is a crucial period for all retailers and brands to offer heavy discounts to maximize the sale of products. The e-commerce market saw US$9.2 billion in sales during this time, which was 42% higher than the last year.

Incredible India posted about the different festivities associated with Dussehra across various Indian states – promoting tourism. At the same time, brands used the ten heads of Ravana to portray their products or show an evil present in society. Modern Foods used plates with leftover food as the ten heads and raised awareness on an Evil – Food Wastage.

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BRAND MARKIVE Abercrombie & Fitch

It's official - A&F is cool again!

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has undergone various transformations during its history, beginning as an outdoor and hunting store before becoming a cultural clothing paradise for teenagers in the 1990s and early 2000s. Customers drifted away from the previously successful apparel line in the 2000s and 2010s due to shifting public attention, controversy, and lawsuits.

However, in recent years, it has tried a resurgence with a more mature and thoughtful re-imagining, and as a result, sales have increased again.

Abercrombie & Fitch was established in 1892 as an outdoor merchant specializing in fishing and hunting equipment. By 1910, the business had expanded to include a big department store. After surviving the

-Anshul Sheikh

Great Depression, the company continued to flourish, branching out into other states and working with some well-known clients.

However, sales fell in the 1960s, and the business filed for bankruptcy in 1977.

Mike Jeffries became CEO in the 1990s and focused on engaging with today's youngsters. Jeffries used provocative imagery and scarcely dressed models in his advertising efforts to grab the attention of consumers. By 1999, the corporation was more popular than it had ever been under Jeffries' leadership.

According to their corporate website, the A&F brand established a clothing line for ages 7 to 14, and the firm opened its subsidiary, Hollister, in 2000. The brand's popularity among teenagers skyrocketed.

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BRAND MARKIVE The retailer was sued for discrimination and faced controversy for an inappropriate product line in the early 2000s. Asian Americans slammed the brand in 2002 after seeing pictures on T-shirts that reflected stereotypes about Asians. According to Bloomberg, the company responded by removing the goods from its stores. A classaction lawsuit was launched against the corporation a year later for alleging discrimination against African Americans, Asian Americans, and other minority candidates. Managers at A&F were reportedly asked to deny that a store was recruiting if applicants didn't suit a specific image. The company was sued once more in 2012. A pilot stated in the lawsuit that Jeffries made several unusual requests for personnel aboard his private jet. The company was also chastised for first refusing to sell plus-size apparel. As public interest decreased in the late 2000s, sales began to decline.

Jeffries left his position as CEO in 2014. Abercrombie & Fitch struggled to rebrand as revenues continued to plummet. A&F got rid of its shirtless male greeters and modified its appearance requirements for sales clerks later the following year. In addition, the company debuted a new range aimed towards senior citizens. Fran Horowitz became the company's CEO in 2017.

Sales began to increase after a renewed focus and some reduction. The brand appeared poised for a comeback in 2018, thanks to increased sales. Based on the company's sales and makeover, Business Insider named the brand the most significant retail response of 2018. The reorganization continued with the closure of 40 A&F stores and the opening of 40 new ones. After better-than-expected holiday sales in 2019, stocks soared in 2020. The company made over $1 billion in digital sales in 2018 and 2019. However, in 2020, the coronavirus outbreak threw the retail sector into disarray, and Abercrombie & Fitch, like many other businesses, temporarily closed their locations. The company has stores in more than 850 locations across all brands and is aiming to grow more.

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MORE THAN MARKETING McD's sustainability goals

Change a little, Change a lot

Mc D is a name that has brought smiles to people through the toys they provide with their ‘Happy Meal’. The delicious burger, a side snack, and drinks, along with cute little toys beautifully wrapped inside the red box with the smiling face and the iconic ‘M’ on top, is indeed loved by many food lovers worldwide. Bob Bernstein, the co-founder of Bernstein-Rein advertising company, first introduced the idea in 1977.

- Hari Shankar Kannan

in 1987, he was awarded a bronze replica of the Happy Meal in the company’s marketing meeting.

Although initially targeted at attracting families with children to enjoy their meal, the concept also became popular with adults. McD introduced toys based on movie franchises like Star Wars, Star Trek, Jurassic Park, Lego, Harry Potter, Pokémon, and other famous things. Over time, the Happy meal also evolved, as it spread to different parts of the world. McD also introduced a vegetarian meal with apples as a healthy substitute, a vegetarian burger, cookies and included various options for customers to choose from a range of small burgers and sides.

An attractive cereal packaging box inspired him, and he aimed at making the dining experience fun for kids at Mc D restaurants. He named it “Happy Meal”, and after its introduction in October 1977, it became an instant hit with children visiting the outlets. In fact, it was loved so much that

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MORE THAN MARKETING

However, historically, there have been many allegations and controversies around the Happy Meal. For instance, in 1992, Mc D had to retract their range of “Batman Returns” toys after several parents complained that the movie was not suitable for children. The company was also severely criticized for its excessive use of plastic in packaging. McD then switched to using cardboard boxes for packaging and paper straws instead of plastic. And despite the switch, in 2019, there were complaints that the paper straws were not re-cyclable. It was high time for McD to take concrete action and be more sustainable. In October 2021, the company pledged to be net-zero emission by 2030, starting from the UK and Ireland, its second-biggest market after the US. It plans to expand the scope of this mission worldwide as well by 2040.

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McD pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by a third in its 40,000+ franchises worldwide and its suppliers by 2030. McD launched the ad campaign titled, “Change a little, Change a lot”. As a part of the campaign, it also promised to focus on four aspects: people, planet, food, and restaurants. The pledge included aiming to practice more sustainable farming methods, help develop 1 million youths in developing countries and use certified and recyclable materials in all of its items.

The ad also showed that McD plans to convert used-cooking oil to biodiesel for trucks, recycle used Mc Cafe cups into greeting cards and make happy meal toys into kid's playgrounds. Only time can say whether or not this is just another greenwashing. However, if they had seriously worked towards it, I am sure that we would be #LovingIt even more.

MARKETING BUZZ Revamping: For a better tomorrow?

(Taylor's Version)

-Aditi Pooja

Yes, we are jumping on the bandwagon by adding this to the title. It is no surprise that Taylor Swift’s re-recording of one of her best-known albums, Red, created a buzz like no other.

Starbucks made it all begin again by specially crafting the festive release of their red cups to coincide with Red's release. A collaboration of the two allows fans to order Taylor's favorite Starbucks drink simply by asking for a 'Taylor's Version.' The album featured more songs and an extended version of the breakup ballad ‘All Too Well’ and took social media by storm. Taylor’s version is revamping the music industry, with Universal Music extending the contractual time that restricts artists from rerecording their work. Artists are seeking to own their master recordings for greater control and the revenue split they receive.

Talking about the buzz of the verse, we have some big Meta news. The Facebook company announced that the overall Facebook company is now Meta. With ‘an immersive embodied internet’, the company intends to help build a metaverse, using the internet to create an immersive experience. While it will be the parent company to Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, there is an increased focus on AI, VR, and 3D virtual technology. Mark Zuckerberg stated, "Metaverse will provide brands richer insights, going beyond your normal demo or targeted ads. This will be more predictive and give insights into what goes in the mind of people to get a response.

Other streams such as E-commerce / Crypto / VR/AR will also gain prominence in the meta ecosystem.”

The announcement came shortly after more privacy concerns were raised against Meta and its companies for Facebook's role in misinformation, political manipulation, and hate speech. How ‘Meta’ handles privacy will certainly be a much scrutinized aspect of this new world.

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MARKETING BUZZ Remember the good ol’ days where McDonald’s Happy Meals delighted us?

What if there was a happier meal? Regina Lim's 'Magical Forest' graphic design project imagines just that with storytelling, illustration, and even AR and origami. The brief mandated a design of a happy meal package that uses sustainable materials, reduces the use of plastic, yet maintains the functionality of the original packaging.

It needed to teach children about the environment, with the toy being sustainable too.

Through educational elements printed on the undersides of the packaging, the meal is interactive with the toy and the paper

Well, if you haven’t heard Adele’s new album 30, we are sure that you’ve at least heard the buzz about it. Before the announcement of the album, several world monuments displayed the number 30 on them, from Seoul to Toronto, Russia to Rome, Singapore to Dubai, the cryptic campaign sprawled across the globe.

Billboards of her face and the number were also seen across South Mumbai, with fans worldwide able to connect the number with a new album release by her.

The artist added to the buzz by appearing for an interview with Oprah Winfrey. She requested that her music be heard in order of the tracklist, with Spotify announcing shortly after that they removed the default shuffle feature for premium users. Music stirs more than just emotions, perhaps!

for the box can create origami toys. This eliminates single-use packaging and leaves no part to go to waste and looks stunning with vivid colors and enchanting illustrations. Sadly, it isn’t real yet but we hope to see this revamped, beautifully cohesive, sustainable bundle that will bring McDonald’s to its sustainability goals.

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HALLMARK CAMPAIGN Not just a Cadbury Ad - Phase II When Shahrukh Khan is your Brand Ambassador

In the last edition of The Marksman, we covered the “Not just a Cadbury Ad” campaign, where they helped local businesses affected by the lockdown to advertise their business digitally. The award-winning campaign was the firstever hyper-personalized Ad that helped 6 crore small businesses survive. This was last Diwali. This year Cadbury managed to impress us again and launched phase II of its “Not just a Cadbury Ad” campaign in collaboration with rephrase.ai and came up with a hyper-personalized Ad featuring Bollywood Superstar Shahrukh Khan.

Rephrase.ai helped in creating highquality videos and animations through an AI-powered visual dubbing tool.

-Rayomand Sachinwala

Ogilvy India conceptualized this with Wavemaker as its media partner, and they took it to the next level as it allowed small business owners to make India’s biggest brand ambassador as their own brand ambassador.

AI-Powered Visual Dubbing This was possible only with Rephrase AI‘s generative AI technology, which allowed them to create a digital avatar of a realworld person. It further allowed users (local business owners in this case) to make professional-quality human videos.

All business owners need to do is give their text as the input and a hyperpersonalized Shah Rukh Khan adverting

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HALLMARK CAMPAIGN

their business is sent to them on their Whatsapp. To make this Ad, rephrase.ai had to create four different digital avatars of SRK for four different corresponding product categories, namely Fashion, Footwear, Kirana, and Electronics. The store owners need to give their store name, category, Pincode, and contact details. So, there are different versions of this Ad to incorporate other store names.

This Ad marks the start of the Synthetic Media Revolution, where businesses can interact with their customers via their brand ambassadors and run hypertargeted content.

Bumps In The Road This type of super-advanced, hypertargeted technology didn't come easily.

There were a few hurdles in the beginning.

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First, the local store names in India have multilingual names for their store(like Ajkal Fashion, MK Cloths, Laxmi Collection).

For this, they had to start an in-house voice cloning project. Nisheeth Lahoti, CoFounder at Rephrase.ai, added, "Even in our wildest dreams, we couldn't have imagined that we'd end up deploying and using it less than a month after starting; the project." This was the best choice for cloning Shahrukh Khan's voice. Secondly, this technology is very sensitive to position and lighting. This created a challenge because there were to be five different avatars of SRK in the middle of an extended act. To take care of this, they had to write the AI models from scratch again.

Enough said A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words: https://bit.ly/3kHoFcY

PIONEER Lil Nas X -Amrit Nair

The way forward

'Gay? You may be entitled to financial compensation! Visit welcometomontero.com' The hip-hop genre is historically infamous for being homophobic. The lyrics in many songs tend to mock homosexuals and often use derogatory terms to refer to them.

The whole concept of homosexuality is often used as an insult. Then comes along a rapper who not only reveals himself to be gay but openly advocates for it any opportunity he gets while remaining on top of the charts. Lil Nas X is an anomaly in the rap game, and he is also the new face of advertising.

Lil Nas X used typical out-of-home (OOH) advertising to promote the release of his new album Montero, but he used a unique approach to communicating. A sprinkling of billboards erected around Los Angeles County mimics vintage commercials for personal injury lawyers and right-wing interest group highway billboards. 'Gay? You may be entitled to financial compensation! Visit welcometomontero.com' and 'Do you miss the real America?' 'Visit welcometomontero.com to see how we can take our country back!' were some of the quotes used on the said billboards.

Lil Nas X shook the internet in early 2020 when he showed his own human bloodinfused, pentagram-clad Nike kicks, which was the rapper's most controversial stunt to date. The black and red Air Max 97s is emblazoned with 'Luke 10:18' on one side, a reference to the Bible text that reads, 'And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.' This is the result of a collaboration between the rapper and MSCHF, a New York-based art collective. The reaction was insane: the shoes sold out in less than a minute as Christian evangelicals started petitions, Twitter went insane, and Nike filed a lawsuit against MSCHF.

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PIONEER Lil Nas X plays an injured college football player in the music video for his new track 'That's What I Want'. He has a hot encounter with another player in the locker room. The two walk to the showers after a heated makeout session, where viewers get a close-up sight of the rapper ripping off a Durex condom package with his diamond-encrusted Grillz.

Durex applauded the hip-hop star featuring their product in the movie. Lil Nas X is here to stay, so love him or hate him; you definitely cannot ignore him.

A blue-haired Lil Nas X delivered a monologue on defying the current status quo with bold ideas and brave uniqueness in this Logitech 2020 Super Bowl spot, designed by the brand's in-house team.

"We stand there in defiance – we the makers, we the groundbreakers." Scenes of creatives recording podcasts, producing music, and creating digital art (all using Logitech devices) are juxtaposed against the backdrop of Lil Nas X's track Montero (Call Me By Your Name), which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in March. The Ad ends with the lines, 'To create the future, we must defy the logic of the past.

We must defy logic.'

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MARKETFLIX AND CHILL Kota Factory Season 2 Social Media Marketing

-Anushka Dalvi

“Bacche 2 saal mei Kota se nikal jaate he, Kota saalo tak baccho se nahi nikalta.”

TVF’s Kota Factory, true to its dialogue, has etched itself in the hearts of the Indian audience quickly. While Bollywood is celebrating the lives of ‘Bunnys’ chasing their dreams with shiny new backpacks gifted by their supportive fathers, the real world, as we know it, is still miles behind. So, it’s no surprise that this series of young adults preparing for JEE while struggling with their personal lives have become highly relatable to Indian viewers. After its much-lauded Season 1 on YouTube, Netflix India created exciting buzz for the second season.

The title marketing campaign by Netflix, collaborating with the Rabbit Hole Agency (Zoo Media), revolved around the show’s most famous character Jeetu Bhaiya. Jeetu Bhaiya’s philosophy and insightful dialogues as a teacher, mentor, and friend had garnered wide acclaim amongst even the non-viewers of the show. Probably that’s why Jeetu Bhaiya’s #OutOfSyllabus philosophy became the central theme of this season’s marketing campaign. The promotions began with a YouTube pre-roll with Jeetu Bhaiya directly addressing the question on the audience’s mind ‘Kota Factory ka season 2 kab aayega?’

An innovative stunt followed this on Engineers Day. The team collaborated with real-life engineers who are now influencers, comedians, writers, and actors who shared their own #OutOfSyllabus stories on Instagram. With acclaimed names like Rahul Subramanium, Prashasti Singh, Gaurav Taneja sharing their black and white pictured memories, the team successfully raised the anticipation level of the fans.

Moving on to another exciting event for their promotion, the Kota Factory team targeted the immensely popular IPL 2021 for their advertising. Kota Factory was advertised on Hotstar during IPL 2021. The audience got a chance to watch the cast

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MARKETFLIX AND CHILL bring forth a comparison between IPL and JEE preparation.

Ahead of the release, Netflix got the hashtag JeetuBhaiyaOP trending at number 4 in India by asking everyone the question, “If you had a chance to ask Jeetu Bhaiya for advice, what? would you ask?”

Various known faces like Aishwarya Mohanraj, Srishti Shukla participated in this activity with their fun responses.

Brands like Tinder, Myntra, Spotify, Dream11 also joined in with their quirky answers like Tinder’s ‘how to calculate the time we should wait before replying to our crush.’

Leaving no social media platform untouched, Jeetu Bhaiya took over Quora by answering the popular questions about JEE preparation. The print media promotion was one of the most successful attempts, which gained over 600 organic comments and shares on LinkedIn. This ad took a subtle dig at coaching classes by printing the dismal AIR ranks of their characters entitled ‘Zero Students Qualified in IIT JEE 2021’ to emphasize their ‘out of syllabus’ lessons.

All in all, Kota Factory, true to its slogging, hard-working name, left no stone unturned to promote their highly anticipated series.

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MARK-O-PEDIA Rebranding and Brand Personality -Alipriya Ghosh “A logo change is a logo change, and a name change is a name change. Rebranding is not the same as a name change, redesign, or new logo.”

Rebranding is often misunderstood. A brand is more than its design elements.

People do not invest in BMW cars or Louis Vuitton handbags because they value the logo. A brand exists because of what these logos represent. The design elements change every other year. The Burger King paper Crowns that come with its meals change in color and shape regularly. The ultimate goal in business is to create a perception of your company, its products, and services that is valuable, meaningful, and most importantly, different from competitors.

Nokia has been doing the same thing. Nokia has constantly changed its public perception throughout history as it evolved from timber products to power generation and ultimately consumer electronics.

Back in the day, Kia used to make cars which were a completely different deal.

But that is no longer the case. The brand has been on the rise steadily and posted its best retail sales year ever in 2020.

The Korean carmaker has a new corporate strategy to create sustainable mobility solutions, dedication to electric vehicles, and sustainable manufacturing.

Kia had an excellent opportunity to launch its new brand. And they ran away with it thanks to a spectacular firework show made possible by all of the latest technology. A firework show is exactly was how Kia revealed its new revamped brand.

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MARK-O-PEDIA A set of human traits given to a brand is known as brand personality. It's the personification of a brand. Our characters determine whether we are charming or irritating, inspiring or uninspiring, magnetic or repellent. The same can be said of a brand. A great brand personality gives your brand a human face in a cluttered competitive landscape, making it relatable and unique.

The personality of a brand is an important part of its positioning and uniqueness. A strong brand personality humanizes a company, providing it depth and nuance and making it more relatable to customers. Customers identify with and form relationships with the portion of your brand that has personality.

Nike – Do it: Nike has an exuberant personality. Nike has an active lifestyle, inspirational, exciting, excellent character.

Nike, as a person, would be into health and fitness, provocative, spirited, excellent and innovative. 'Just Do It' is a daring and inspirational brand slogan for anyone who wants to succeed. The Nike brand offers a sense of confidence when any of its garments are worn. Their prominent personality has sparked excellent brand loyalty, making many people opt for their brand.

Maggi - The 2-minute noodle: Maggi reminds us of the strong family relationships we have or can form. Maggi, as a person, would be sharing, caring, loving, family and full of fun and kindness.

This is something that everybody who eats Maggi can relate to.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES Video vs. Image Advertisement

-AISHWARYA TATE

Video content marketing has unquestionably become the industry's buzzword. Both tools have virtues, just as every coin has two sides. However, marketers have found that video ads work better than image ads. You can utilize graphics to advertise your brand in an image ad. It includes the photo you chose, as well as information about your business, services, or products. People who click on your ad are taken to your website.

Unlike image advertising, which can be created in minutes, video commercials need planning, filming, and editing, as well as the actual act of putting the ad – unless you utilize Vedia's Ad Generator, which allows you to make films in seconds. As a result, picture advertising is used by the vast majority of Facebook advertisers.

Although it is fair to want to save time, do still image ads perform as well as video commercials? No, they do not, in a nutshell.

Video advertising is the technique of presenting advertisements either within online video content – commonly before, during, or after a video stream, and referred to as pre-roll, mid-roll, and postroll – or standalone advertisements. Every aspect of a campaign must be carefully considered (and tested) to optimize its potential. When it comes to ad design, the image and, more recently, the video often takes center stage.

Video consumption is on the rise, with 45 percent of consumers watching more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos per week, according to Wordstream. As we become more of a video-consuming society, the gap between video-based marketing and still-image commercials in terms of engagement and ROI will widen even further.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES Running a video ad gives you one significant benefit that picture advertising cannot match. You can, for example, immediately transmit a lot more information in the ad that your target buyers can readily assimilate.

This is proved significantly beneficial for Databox.com who polled 26 marketers to find out which alternative they preferred.

Video advertising was chosen by 52 percent, while picture ads were selected by 48 percent. More than 60% of the same marketers, on the other hand, believe that video commercials can increase customer engagement more than static ads. Because video content promotes more client engagements, it is better for Facebook ads. Furthermore, videos can cause scrolling users to pause to focus on video material before performing another bold action. On Instagram, the war of pictures vs video ads is also raging. Marketers and advertisers are increasingly focusing on video ads because they increase client engagement more than graphics.

Users on social media are 27 times more likely to click on video ads than banner ads. On Instagram, video ads receive three times as many comments as photo ads.

Furthermore, clickthrough rates for V-S mobile video are higher and better than native ads and banner ads. Google AdWords serve video advertising; however, display campaigns perform better in terms of clickthrough.

You can combine video and display advertisements in Google ads and then study the performance indicators before deciding on a format. Even though 55 percent of internet users view web videos daily, some firms continue to rely on the tried-and-true advertising format of photos. This is primarily due to their belief in industry-wide video myths, such as the notion that video is a costly and time-consuming marketing tool.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES Augmented Reality & Immersive technology in Marketing -PRIYANSHU KUMAR Imagine trying on different outfits visually or trying on cosmetics to find the correct look before you buy. AR experiences can modify the environment around you.

Virtual try-on and product visualizations are all about the customer and allow them to create their own company brand.

Augmented reality provides a glimpse into the future of marketing. The narrative has always been at the core of any successful marketing strategy, and these immersive technologies are providing us with a new perspective on how content has evolved.

In 2022, 1.9 billion individuals per month will utilize augmented reality, and 3 billion devices are presently AR-enabled globally.

Many marketers will be trying to figure out how to incorporate AR into their marketing mix, as they will with any new technology.

Marketers who use augmented reality (AR) experience a 10x boost in engagement time, retention, and effectiveness.

AR has been the most extensively adopted of the two immersive technologies, allowing for more flexibility in improving customer experiences.

Retailers are attempting to improve the shopping experience even before customers step foot into a store. Visitors who are merely hanging around outside of a business can discover the next level in window shopping with AR display engagements that showcase products, provide information, and allow customers to interact with a brand before they enter.

If consumers do make it inside, merchants are increasingly offering the most interactive experiences to improve brand exposure and product engagement. The virtual fitting room, which allows consumers to see themselves in several clothes options on a screen to help narrow down selections before actually trying them on, is one of the most recent AR in-store encounters. This has resulted in a significant rise in sales conversion rates and a significant reduction in returns.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES 71% of shoppers prefer to shop in stores that offer an AR "try-it-before-you-buy" experience. Retail is evolving and becoming more digital.

AR interaction has increased by roughly 20% since the beginning of 2020, with conversion rates increasing by 90% among users who engage with AR against those who do not.

A few other augmented reality shopping experiences can be found both at home and in stores that help customers obtain a deeper understanding of a brand or product. With 3D photo capacity, marketers must now consider purchasing online with augmented product visualization.

Intelligent closets, systems that recognize colours and materials automatically, and software that predicts product features are all part of the e-commerce future.

As awareness and adoption of AR rise, marketers must understand their objectives and the technological requirements to integrate AR into their marketing and media mix properly. Given the variety of possibilities and new production processes necessary to create these immersive virtual experiences, marketers should take the time to plan and develop the implementation of this developing technology.

Although not everyone is familiar with the term AR, you have most likely seen or used it. Creating and using virtual interactions on social media has also been easier and more effective, thanks to the introduction of codeless AR and open-source AR toolkits (SDK).

AR is known by 70–75 percent of adults aged 16–44. This is whom you're aiming at.

AR brand promotion on social media that is done well can impact trends, increase impulse purchases, and increase brand engagement.

Marketers who embrace and use augmented reality as a cutting-edge tool that allows businesses to engage with customers on a deeper level will have a significant competitive advantage.

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CALL FOR ARTICLES December 2021 Edition The Marksman provides one and all the opportunity to discover their hidden talents in the literary field through our "Call for Articles". For the upcoming month, the articles can be sent on any of the following topics:

Point-of-Purchase Marketing.

Marketing in Metaverse: A Forecast SERP Position Zero Please ensure that there is no plagiarism and all the references are clearly mentioned.

Kindly follow the guidelines given below: One article can have only one author.

Your article should be approximately 550-600 words (strictly adhere to the word limit) The article must have relevant pictures that can be used to enhance the article.

Send in your articles in .doc/.docx format to marksman.simsr@somaiya.edu Subject Line: Your Name_Institute Name_Course Year.

Kindly name your file as: Your Name_Topic.

The best adjudged article will be given a Winner's certificate. The First Prize Winners will be awarded Rs. 500 Cash Prize.

Deadline For Submission Of Article: 22nd December, 2021

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PKM Foods is a well-known Maharashtrian cuisine brand with a 70-year history. PKM delivers a wide choice of Regional Spices to its consumers and known for their distinct and regional Taste of Maharashtra all thanks to a diversified portfolio of several areas in Maharashtra! Their recipes are based on true original recipes from the particular place of origin, which have been passed down through the years.

What makes them stand out is their amazing range of Regional cuisines like Kolhapuri, Khandeshi, Varhadi, Saoji, Marathwadi, Malwani and Dhangari Masale – which covers core-regional taste of Maharashtra and have various categories of products such as Spices, Chutney, Thecha and Pickles.

Visit their Instagram page @sawaimasale and check out the wide range of dishes that can be made with this amazing collection of spices and masalas

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